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Friday, 16 February 2018

5 Money Saving Tips for Mums

There isn’t a right time to start saving but it’s good to know that you have a little stash of cash put aside for all those things that happen all at once, you know, the MOT fails, the kids need new shoes or a coat, the dog eats a teabag, yeah, those. I’m sure I’m not the only one to admit that I struggle to save money if I don’t have something in particular to save for... Book me a holiday and I’ll pay it off in a few months, yet tell me to put money aside and I’ll find it difficult not to dip in it every now and again.

Now I’m a Mum, I do find that saving money is a little easier knowing there’s 2 little humans relying on me for various things and it’s just a peace of mind knowing there is a little bit of money set aside incase we need it. I’m useless at the whole credit card thing and have quite a bad credit score, which I *think* is what most people would use if they had money issues and even though some companies offer loans for those with bad credit which can help you out if you’re desperate but, I wanted to share some everyday money saving tips that we can all do to help save money in the long run and make it aimed more towards Mums or Mums - To - Be.

1 - Buy second hand

If you’re a first time Mum then you will probably have had a lot of help from friends and family in regards to buying all the things you need but, if not, a great way to save a lot of money is to buy second hand. There are some great shops and second hand boutiques out there that have the more expensive items in for a fraction of the price! I bought Mylo’s travel system and saved over £500 yet it looked brand new! I think the term ‘second hand’ tends to put people off but if you look around enough and find the good bits, you can really save yourself some dosh! eBay is a great place to start and to save more money, narrow your search results down to your location so you don’t need to pay for P&P! You never know what someone around the corner is selling!

2 - Bulk cook meals from scratch

It’s easy to take the easy way when it comes to cooking - whether you’re cooking for your weaning baby or your picky 5 year old, it’s so much cheaper to bulk cook and make food from scratch. We’re lucky that both kids will eat almost anything but a lot of the time, it’s some sort of pasta dish that’s being made. I try and feed Mylo the same as us or as Millie but if not, I boil some vegetables up and pop them in the fridge so that he has something to eat on an evening if he doesn’t eat the same as us. You can also bulk make and pop into the Heinz/HIPP jars and keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you’re struggling for recipes, just use the same ingredients as what you’d find in the jars if you were to buy them from the shops! It’s easy to do and cheaper too!

3 - Use Loyalty cards

A lot of places these days have some sort of loyalty scheme, whether it be Boots, Superdrug, H&M (this is new but it’s pretty good if you buy their kids clothes, which are fab!) or Nandos, using the loyalty scheme will often mean that in future, you get discounted products or, quite often, money to spend. Boots is a great one as you get 10 points for every £1 spent with 100 points = £1 to spend in store. If you join their parenting club, you also get seasonal vouchers sent through too which can again, save you a heap of money on all of the essentials.

4 - Free activities - Use your community

Rather than splashing out on trips to the Zoo, Meals out, take advantage of your local community. More often than not, there are community centres that run family activities whether it’s for babies, younger children or youth clubs for older kids, there’s always something to do even if it’s just a couple of quid. Get out and about and visit the park more too! Millie loves running around the park and although it’s a little boring to sit and watch, it’s burning their energy and gives you a little ‘you time’ too! Plus, doing this you’ve saved yourself money and are using the community too!

5 - Don’t be afraid to buy non-branded items

There is SO MUCH stuff out there for babies and children, a lot of it made by the big old brands but, some of our favourite products have come from home brands including nappies, baby formula and even snacks! You will notice a considerable difference in price with a lot of necessities, one being baby formula. We actually use Aldi’s home brand of baby milk which is £4 cheaper than the alternative (read my comparison post here)

Do you have any great money saving tips that could be added to this? Let me know in the comments below or Tweet me @emmaloub_